An Ottawa man and woman are facing multiple charges after avoiding police by camping out in a pickup truck in the Mississippi River Thursday night.

At around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police officers went to River Road in Lanark Highlands after receiving reports that unwanted persons were refusing to leave a rental property.

Once police arrived, a man and woman fled the property in a black Ford pickup and entered the Mississippi River.

Efforts by the police to approach the truck were unsuccessful as the driver kept moving further away whenever officers came near, said acting Sgt. Angie Atkinson.

Police then tried communicating with the two suspects from the shoreline in an effort to gain information on what had previously happened at the rental property, said Atkinson.

“When a situation like that is happening, it becomes a safety matter — it’s flowing water, it’s an operational vehicle and because it is a public safety matter you have people in there and we don’t want officers hurt, we don’t want people hurt,” Atkinson added.

The man and woman refused to co-operate and remained in the river overnight. Atkinson estimated that the truck sat in no more than a few feet of water, some 30 to 50 feet into the river, while police watched from the shoreline during the night.

At around 6:15 a.m. Friday, the two occupants were arrested and taken into custody without incident. It is unclear exactly how the arrests were made.

Kirsten Fournier, 22, was charged with one count of obstructing a peace officer and was released with a promise to appear in court next Friday.

The driver, 29-year-old James Hugh Lamb, was charged with one count of obstructing a peace officer, one count of failing to comply with recognizance, one count of mischief under $5,000 and one count of causing a disturbance. He was held in custody pending the outcome of a bail hearing in an Ontario Court of Justice on Tuesday.

The investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information to contact Lanark County OPP at 613-267-2626 (during business hours) or 1-888-310-1122.